If you grew up in the evangelical church you may know that there are particular ways of interpreting history in evangelical culture. That is, like any sub-culture, evangelicals tend to tell one another particular stories about the past. In most of those stories, Christians are cast as the good guys. If you want to grow in faith, in knowledge, it is advisable to consider history with a clear lens. While no lens can be perfectly clear, we can seek to be aware of our own biases.

When you learn that your own history is not as blameless as you may have been told there are some key possibilities in how to react. You can double-down, denying that your particular community or religion or denomination has anything to admit. You can console yourself by claiming that those who were part of the groups with which you identify were the best of a bad lot. You can also be honest about how some terrible things have been perpetrated in the name of your faith and even by people who were held up as heroes in history.

I was always taught that Christian revival was to be celebrated pretty much without question. In fact, in evangelical circles, revival was something to be longed for. It was a kind of “if only that could happen for us today”.

Our guest for this episode is a philosopher and an historian. Matthew Stewart’s An Emancipation of the Mind looks at the history of the abolition of slavery in the United States. In doing so, Stewart shows that the place of the church was almost entirely a place of support of slavery and loud argument for its continued presence.

In some of the most striking sections of the book, Stewart demonstrates how Christian revival in American history was almost entirely enmeshed with the assumption that slavery was blessed by God. That is, in many cases, as people converted to Christianity, they became even more supportive of the slave trade or even more violent “masters”.

This matters today because there are declarations of revival happening now.

Some Christians assume these revivals must be entirely good - a sign of God’s blessing. It is clear, however, that an honest look shows that there are cases in which revival, though lauded as spiritual and religious, is as much or more about politics and power.

We speak with Matthew Stewart about his book and about how the lessons of the past can help us to see our current world more clearly.

An Emancipation of the Mind: the War over Slavery, and the Refounding of America, Matthew Stewart, 2024

The 9.9 Percent: the New Aristocracy That is Entrenching Inequality and Warping Our Culture, Matthew Stewart, 2021

"The 9.9 Percent is the New American Aristocracy", Matthew Stewart, The Atlantic, June 2018

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty, Tomáš Halík, 2012

“The Cities Church protest and Bonhoeffer’s ‘promising godlessness’”, Mac Loftin, Christian Century Magazine, January 28,2026

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. John Martens, Director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at UBC, for a reflective conversation about faith, public life, and hope in a fractured world. Drawing on his Mennonite roots, his journey into the Catholic tradition, and years of teaching and scholarship, John reflects on how theology is shaped through lived experience, relationships, and place.

Together, we explore what Christian engagement might look like in a secular, pluralistic city like Vancouver, where many feel distant from institutional religion yet remain open to questions of meaning and belonging. The conversation also names the tensions facing contemporary Christianity, particularly the pull of nationalism and political power, while pointing toward practices of listening, humility, and presence as faithful ways forward.

At its heart, this episode asks a simple but demanding question: what does it mean to live faithfully now?

Books and Articles

The Uses of Idolatry, William Cavanaugh, 2024

Ivan Illich: An Intellectual Journey, David Cayley, 2021

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty, Tomáš Halík, 2012

The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change, Tomáš Halík, 2012

“Court rules against anti-trans Christian teacher who demanded right to misgender students” Friendly Atheist, February 4, 2026

TV Shows

The Pitt

Riot Women

Father Brown

In this episode, we welcome back journalist and author Katherine Stewart, whose work has become a trusted guide for us as we continue to think about the intersection of politics, religion, and public life. Over the years, we’ve often found ourselves returning to her writing and asking, “What would Katherine say about this?” especially as stories emerge around Christian nationalism and the erosion of democratic norms.

As the pace of the news accelerates, Katherine helps us slow down and look beneath the headlines. She reflects on how economic inequality, disinformation, and anti-democratic movements reinforce one another, and on the ways certain forms of religion are being distorted to justify exclusion, hierarchy, and control. Together, we explore how language around religious freedom and moral certainty can mask deeper concentrations of power.

Katherine reminds us that hope exists and of our responsibility in this moment. She speaks to the importance of attention, organization, and moral clarity, particularly within faith communities; naming the growing presence of religious leaders and institutions who are resisting these distortions and reclaiming faith as a force for dignity, equality, and the common good. As always, her voice invites us not only to understand what is happening, but to consider how we might respond with courage, honesty, and care.

“They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity”, The Guardian, November 23,2025

Jesus and the Disinherited, Howard Thurman (1945)

Djesus Uncrossed, SNL, 2013

The Cupboard is pleased to welcome back longtime friend, mentor, and Orthodox theologian David Goa for a reflective conversation about the recent rise in church attendance among young people, particularly within Orthodox Christian communities. We explore what might be happening beneath the surface of this trend—and why it evokes both hope and caution.

David offers historical, theological, and pastoral insight into patterns of conversion, revival, and youthful religious movements, situating the current moment within a much larger story. Throughout the conversation, the focus returns to formation: the slow, embodied work of learning how to respond rather than react, how to live for the life of the world rather than retreat into religious silos. We are reminded of the church’s calling to bless, to accompany, and to offer a vision of fully human life grounded in presence, humility, and love of neighbor. What might faithful leadership, deep catechesis, and genuine community look like in this moment of cultural and spiritual searching?

“Orthodox Church Pews Are Overflowing with Converts”, November 19, 2025, New York Times

“Religious leaders say they’re observing a hidden trend among younger Americans”, December 9, 2025, The Washington Post

“What’s driving Gen Z’s return to Christianity?”, December 2, 2025, The Current with Matt Galloway, CBC

An Emancipation of the Mind, Matthew Stewart, 2024

In this annual Christmas episode of Rector’s Cupboard, the cupboard is opened for seasonal tasting, spirited conversation, and a few holy disagreements. Over glasses of wintery mead, the hosts reflect on Christmas songs they love and those they would happily never hear again, exploring how nostalgia, repetition, and theology shape the sounds of the season. What begins lightheartedly soon deepens into a conversation about nativity scenes, immigration, resistance, and why the Christmas story continues to unsettle cultural and political certainties.

Along the way, inflatables are stabbed, Randy Savage offers unexpected wisdom, and familiar carols are reframed through histories of abolition, protest, and hope. The episode closes by returning to the heart of Advent and Christmas alike: a reminder that comfort and joy are not sentimental escapes, but promises spoken into a dark and waiting world.

As a small gift to you this season, we offer a version of O Holy Night, produced and recorded by friends of the podcast, Mark Woodyard and Rick Colhoun, for the conclusion of the episode. Merry Christmas!

Our tasting today came from Golden Age Meadery, on Salt Spring Island.

“Christmas display carnage in Scarborough caught on camera: ‘Dad, they’re popping the inflatables!’”, Toronto Star, December 11, 2025

“As anti-ICE Nativity scenes spark outrage, faith leaders grapple with politics at the pulpit”, CNN, December 15, 2025

The Little Drummer Boy (Carol) Mary, Did You Know? (Michael English) Away in a Manger (Carol) All I Want For Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) Last Christmas (Wham!) Tomorrow Christ is Coming (Carol)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Album (Vince Guaraldi Trio) What Child is This? (Carol) Star of Wonder (Sufjan Stevens) O Holy Night (Carol)

We recently had a storytelling evening in our garage studio. In this episode, we share a recording from this event featuring writer and lawyer Jonathan Wright, host of the podcast Hello Unknown, which has just released its second season. Jonathan invites us into the hidden layers of the human experience through stories that blend history, imagination, and spiritual reflection.

We heard two (and a half) stories that evening. Coffee, the first story on this episode, For Keeps, which was not recorded but is available now on the second season of Hello Unknown and talks about the POGs phenomenon of the 90s. We also were treated to some new work, in a draft form, from a story Jonathan is working on for the next season of Hello Unknown.

Jonathan’s stories explore how seemingly ordinary moments can reveal deeper questions about identity, connection, and the ways we make meaning.

Through his thoughtful storytelling and personal reflections on faith and creativity, Jonathan invites listeners to pay attention to the small details that illuminate our shared humanity. The episode becomes a meditation on the power of narrative, how it shapes us, unsettles us, and draws us toward the unknown with curiosity and grace.

We hope you enjoy the episode and highly recommend you check out all of Jonathan’s stories on Hello Unknown.

In this episode, we’re joined by Tara Boothby, a registered clinical psychologist, working in BC and Alberta for nearly 20 years. She is an Experiential Attachment Focused Therapist and a certified Emotionally Focused Couples, Family, and Individual Therapist and Supervisor. She is also currently doing a second Master's degree at St. Stephen's University, where she is studying themes of theology, social justice, and literature.

We speak to Tara about her new book Love and Love’s Energy. Tara reflects on her roots in evangelical Christianity, her path into psychology, and how attachment theory can help us understand love, not as an abstract ideal, but as something embodied and deeply formative.

Together we explore the tensions many carry around faith, forgiveness, and growth, and what it means to see ourselves and others with greater gentleness. Tara offers thoughtful insight into seasons of existential unraveling and the search for a God who meets us in our questions rather than our certainties.

What emerges is a hopeful reminder: love, in all its complexity, has the capacity to heal, reconnect, and reorient us toward a more grounded and generous way of being.

We are very happy to welcome back returning guest and friend of the podcast, Julian Davis Reid. Julian is a gifted writer, musician, speaker, theologian, and pastor and spoke with us about his new album, Vocation, in particular the song Moan: For Hearts of Flesh. Julian’s work is deep and thought provoking. It often walks a line between joy and pain, mixing the two together, demonstrating how one informs the other. His work articulates musically what can often be so difficult to articulate in other ways. It speaks to a hope that does not deny reality or skirt around pain or difficult topics but rather asks, what does faith look like here and now, in the midst of this.

If you want to check out Julian’s work (which we would highly recommend), you can check out Julian’s website, which has links to his music, both solo and other projects, as well as his music video for Moan: For Hearts of Flesh, which we reference in this conversation.